Critics sound off on wind farm plan

FRIESLAND -- Walter Wiersma considered introducing a photo of his children -- 5-year-old Spencer and 3-year-old Rianna -- into the record of Wednesday's state Public Service Commission hearing to illustrate his opposition to electricity generating wind turbines in northeast Columbia County.

Wiersma, of Friesland, was one of many people at the standing-room-only hearing who said worries about the health effects, safety and noise from wind turbines in a 17,300-acre area of the towns of Scott and Randolph, should lead the commission to reject the We Energies proposal for Glacier Hills Wind Park. "I'm for green energy," he said, "but I don't want it to hurt my family and friends."

The afternoon and evening sessions for the hearing were moved from the Randolph Town Hall to the Friesland Village Hall to accommodate more people.

At the first session, testimony was fairly divided among proponents and opponents of the project, which is expected to generate 207 megawatts of energy -- enough to power about 45,000 homes -- from 90 turbines, built on about 240 parcels of leased farmland.

Cliff Krentz of the town of Randolph said the strongest argument in favor of the project is jobs for builders such as himself. "Glacier Hills Wind Park can do a lot of good for a lot of people in this area," he said.

Several others, representing construction companies and unions representing workers in the construction business, offered similar testimony.

But at the second session, several people said they live near Blue Sky Green Fields, an 88-turbine We Energies wind farm that began operating last year in Fond du Lac County.

James Mueller said noise from the turbines is worst in winter, when there are no crops in the field to muffle it.

James Vollmer said he had to stop raising birds because the noise from the turbines stressed them so much, they stopped laying eggs, they molted in the winter and some of them died.

Several others testified about problems with television and radio reception, a strobe effect from the turbine blades called shadow flicker, and people who are susceptible to motion sickness experiencing queasiness from the turning blades.

But Art Ondrejkas. who lives in the town of Calumet in Fond du Lac County, said he works for a company that is contracted to service the turbines there and he has no problems living near them.

"I have a family there," he said, "and if I thought that something would happen to my family because of the wind turbines, I'd be out of there in a minute."

Several residents of the towns of Scott and Randolph said they've tried to sell their homes since hearing of plans for the wind farm, but have had few offers because of the possibility of the turbines being built.

Carl Vander Galien, Friesland village president, read a village resolution in opposition to the project. If the turbines are built, the resolution asks that We Energies pay the village yearly to compensate for the drop in property values.

Testimony will be compiled for the three-member PSC, with a decision possibly in January.